3.36 Create a Knockout Rectangle

Updated on Apr 25, 2024

Find out in this article,

which requirements must be met to carry out this Fixup and
how to apply the Fixup.

1. Introduction

The Fixup Create a Knockout Rectangle is available in the Workflow. The aim of this Fixup is to create a non-printing rectangle based on a defined start value.

2. General

The Fixup Create Knockout a Rectangle can be used to create a non-printing rectangle after entering the starting point and the Height and Width of the rectangle. Use the Fixup to e.g. create a background area for a barcode or QR code or an unprinted area.

Find the Fixup in the Data Preparation tab of an Article, Order or Production Job by:

entering the name of the Fixup in the Filter area,
activating the option Object in the Category area,
activating the option Create in the Action area,
activating the option Spot Colors in the Search area.

3. Description

The Fixup creates a knockout rectangle. This non-printing rectangle can be placed after entering the size and width as well as the X and Y coordinates of the starting point. The starting point (0/0) of the rectangle is located in the bottom left corner of the TrimBox by default. By entering minus values, the rectangle can be placed outside the TrimBox, for example to take the existing Bleed into account.

3.1. Requirements and Functionality

There are no special requirements for this Fixups to do what it promises.

Figure 1: The Basic Settings and Advanced tab of the dialog Create a Knockout Rectangle

Choose from the following options:

Basic Settings

X-Origin [1] – enter the starting point of the X-axis of the rectangle that should be set to Knockout. By entering "-" values, the rectangle moves to the left and thus outside the TrimBox. For the Variable Content [5], select the desired placeholder - database field or user-defined field - from which the value for the X-Origin should be retrieved.
Y-Origin [2] – enter the starting point of the Y-axis of the rectangle that should be set to Knockout. By entering "-" values, the rectangle moves downwards and thus outside the TrimBox. For the Variable Content [6], select the desired placeholder - database field or user-defined field - from which the value for the Y-origin should be retrieved.
Width [3] – enter the width for the rectangle that should be set to Knockout. For the Variable Content [7], select the desired placeholder - database field or user-defined field - from which the value for the width should be retrieved.
Height [4] – enter the height for the rectangle that should be set to Knockout. For the Variable Content [8], select the desired placeholder - database field or user-defined field - from which the value for the height should be retrieved.

Advanced

Layer Name [9] – enter the name of the Layer on which the knockout rectangle should be created. If you don't want to create a separate Layer, remove the name from the input field. For the Variable Content [11], select the desired placeholder - database field or user-defined field - from which the value for the layer name should be retrieved.
Conformity of Processing Steps according to ISO 19593-1 [10] – a retrospectively inserted rectangle should be created by default according to ISO 19593-1 on the Layer Structural in the Group Structural of the Type InkFree. Further information on the ISO standard can be found in the description Processing Steps ISO 15931-1.

3.2. Before/After

To experiment with this function, refer to the sample file Sample_Knockout_Rectangle.pdf. The sample file has a size of 75 x 155 mm and a bleed of 3 mm. The barcode should have a size of 10 x 35 mm with a corresponding safety zone.

After applying the Fixup, the file "Sample_Knockout_Rectangle_End.pdf" is created. The knockout rectangle was placed here as described.

Figure 2: Left: original file; Right: edited file with a knockout rectangle on which a barcode should be placed later on